North Okanagan awarded $25,000 for climate research

The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) has been awarded $25,000 from the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Water Conservation and Quality Improvement Grant Program.

Climate Adaptation is one of the key topic areas of the North Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy five-year review and the development of this report will assist in RDNO’s adaptation efforts.

The report will inform decisions on infrastructure and planning, flood and drought preparedness, and other water conservation issues in the face of climate change today and into the future.

Results from this work will provide Okanagan regional districts, municipalities, non-profits, and interested citizens with the information they need to develop plans and actions for reducing the risks associated with climate variability and changes in water quantity and/or quality.

The report will play an important role in bridging climate research to the practical application of that knowledge for decision makers with the ultimate goal of improving resilience to climate change.

“We are grateful to the Okanagan Basin Water Board for their support on this important project,” said Kevin Acton, Chair of the Board. “We recognize that the Okanagan is one valley with one water, so the collaborative approach to the creation of this report with the North, Central, and South Okanagan Regional Districts will provide valuable climate change projections for the entire basin.”

The RDNO will coordinate and oversee the development of the Climate Projections report in collaboration with the Regional District of the Central Okanagan and the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen.

The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium will carry out the projections modeling and indicator work while a consultant will be hired to complete the report writing component of this project.